Health Trends Come and Go!

Health Trends Come and Go. Think of goji berries or raw chocolate – we don’t hear much about those superfoods anymore. But we’re still bombarded with information about Himalayan salt lamps, juicing, and other things.

1. Vegan Food

Eating plant-based is becoming more and more trendy and may reach a tipping point of acceptance within a few years – for good reason. Abstaining from meat, dairy and eggs may help you lose weight, have a healthier heart and live longer. We’ll also start seeing more discussion on the role of meat production in climate change. And if you can’t imagine your life without cheese or meat, you can still embrace a part-time vegan diet and eat more plants.

We think we’ll see more vegan foods on the shelves at grocery stores this year, but fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grains are healthy vegan staples to eat more of.

Following on from this trend, plant protein is popping up everywhere, from smoothies to nutrition bars, and the quality of the powders is increasing. We particularly like GoNutrition’s Paleo Protein.

2. Smartwatches Gain Momentum

Wellbeing and fitness apps have now gone mainstream, and the latest Apple Watch has created a tipping point for many people to give smartwatches a try. Many commentators believe that smartwatches will eventually become ubiquitous, but the technology is not quite there yet. Eventually, they could be an essential item to help us stay healthy and active.

3. Collagen

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s collagen? For a growing number of women, the fibrous protein is the secret to glowing skin—not to mention shiny hair, strong nails, and healthy digestion. We’re seeing more collagen focussed products coming out. Get your fill with Luminous Capsules from Protein World

4. Franchised Fitness

The cool-kid indie new-comers have now turned semi-corporate. Brands like SoulCycle and Barry’s Bootcamp started the boutique fitness craze. The franchise model has turned these places into powerhouses, with huge room to scale.

5. Hyper Functional Beverages

Forget sugary, vitamin-filled water. New hyper-functional, ultra-health focussed beverages are about to flood the market.

6. Recovery Products

For fitness fanatics, high intensity workouts continue to be one of the hottest (and fast-growing) trends. But an obsession with them has led to over-training and injuries, ushering in a new let’s-slow-down mentality. The latest recovery products are reported to minimise down time. We like Complete Recovery by Bulk Powders.

7. Bean Pastas

Although 2016 was the year of the pulse, beans are going to be even bigger in 2017. We have tried grain-free bean pastas (made from only bean flours) that are really high in protein and fiber. Expect to see plenty of them on the shelves this year —everything from edamame spaghetti to chickpea fusilli to lentil elbows and black bean rotini.

8. Fermentation

While fermented foods were definitely big in 2016, we think this will only continue to get bigger. Gut health is a hot topic and people are eating sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented veggies more than ever. Expect to see more fermented items at the grocery store and on menus.

9. Veggie Chips

Forget veggie snacks that hardly have any real vegetables in them. We saw a lot of companies making veggie chips with just veggies, oil and a little salt. From beets to kale, we think these vegetable snacks will be popping up on shelves near you. You can also make your own kale, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato and beet chips at home with these healthy recipes.

It’s about time that the kale craze stops. Kale is now the most sold vegetable in the US. Kale chip producers: prepare to be disappointed in 2017!

10. Alternative Sugars

We’ve seen more and more foods feature alternatives to white sugar, like coconut sugar and date sugar. Each has its own unique flavor profile. We hope that the manufacturers switching to these sugars are also using less. Too much of any sugar isn’t good for your blood sugar, heart or waistline.

Sadly, the trend towards demonizing sugar as the cause of the obesity epidemic will continue. Sugar is not the villain it’s made out to be, but it will continue to be the scapegoat for the Standard American Diet for a while.

11. Bone Broth

While bone broth has been around, we don’t think it’s peaked yet. More and more companies are stocking grocery store shelves with bone broth and you can even buy it at coffee shops and juice bars nationwide. Claims that bone broth fixes everything from leaky gut to wrinkles aren’t supported by science, but it can still be part of a healthy diet.

Get ready to become overwhelmed with news about bone broth being some “miracle food.” Savvy marketers will take advantage of the current revival of bone broth as and will create products incorporating it. Both broth smoothies anyone? Get ready for random products that are likely to fail.

12. Turmeric

Turmeric has been climbing the spice charts in 2016—but this healthy spice isn’t going anywhere in 2017. Turmeric is often found in Indian recipes and contains curcumin, a super-healthy compound (learn more about the health benefits here). Expect to see more turmeric-spiced drinks and dinners, as well as turmeric showing up in more and more recipes.

13. Inflammation Fighting Foods

Fighting inflammation with food is quickly becoming a major health priority—and for good reason, considering inflammation is linked to everything from acne to life-threatening illnesses.

14. Workleisure / Athleisure Clothing

Thanks to athleisure, life has become a lot more comfortable. But the one place fashionable fitness clothes have yet to fully infiltrate? The office. And major brands are taking note.

15. Jackfruit

Jackfruit is easy to grow in tropical countries and produces an unbelievable amount of food. In 2017, many people will start using it as one solution towards hunger problems in developing countries, but you’ll also see more jackfruit products available in the West.

What do you think of my predictions on trends? Will 2017 be the end of Kombucha? Will Donald Trump go vegan? Leave your comments below!